Associate Director for Philanthropic Communications

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

For over 160 years, the University of Washington has been a hub for learning, innovation, problem solving and community building. Supporting this legacy and important public mission—with the goal of making the UW the world’s greatest public university, as measured by positive impact—guides everything we do in University Advancement . Bringing together development; alumni and stakeholder engagement; marketing and communications; and advancement operations, we advance the UW’s impact by developing meaningful connections that foster pride, advocacy and philanthropic support. Advancement Strategy and Campaigns has an exciting opening for an Associate Director for Philanthropic Communications. This is a full-time permanent position. The Associate Director for Philanthropic Communications develops high-impact philanthropic content that advances the University of Washington’s most important fundraising priorities. Working closely with colleagues across the University, this role creates persuasive campaign and case materials that inspire transformational giving and strengthen engagement with the UW. As a member of the Advancement Strategy and Campaigns team, this role offers the opportunity to work on institution-wide philanthropic priorities in partnership with academic and Advancement leaders. Working closely with University Marketing & Communications, the Associate Director is part of a network of skilled communicators who ensure philanthropic communications are strategic, aligned and consistent with the University’s brand.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and four years of related experience.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
Experience creating compelling communications that inspire philanthropic engagement.
Demonstrated ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders across levels of seniority, disciplines and roles.
Comfort navigating feedback from multiple stakeholders, including synthesizing and reconciling conflicting input.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office tools (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint).
Experience using project management and file management tools (e.g., Asana, SharePoint; others a plus).

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education and/or institutional advancement.
Experience working in organizations with shared or matrixed reporting structures and strong cross‑team partnership.

Responsibilities

Writing and Content Development Research, write and edit persuasive philanthropic content, including campaign cases, whitepapers and donor proposals for philanthropic gifts.
Develop and refine case materials for University-wide priorities as well as campus, college, school and program fundraising efforts.
Update and adapt existing materials as needed to reflect evolving priorities, strategy and campaign context.
Translate complex academic and institutional priorities into clear, compelling narratives for philanthropic audiences.
Develop templates, boilerplate language and guidance to support consistent messaging and ensure all content aligns with UW brand standards and best practices.
Collaborate with design partners on widely distributed materials and independently produce routine collateral using on-brand tools and templates.
Analysis of communication strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of messaging and to anticipate and plan for long-term philanthropic communication needs.
Project Management and Collaboration Manage multiple writing projects simultaneously, from concept through review, approval and final delivery.
Coordinate stakeholder input, editorial review and approvals while keeping projects on track and aligned with timelines.
Partner with internal teams to ensure consistency and coordination across philanthropic communications efforts.
Proactively identify and address scope, timeline, or alignment challenges in complex, matrixed environments.
Use project management and file-sharing tools to organize work and maintain transparency with partners.
Facilitation and Visioning Partner with the Senior Director to plan and support structured conversations, interviews, and workshops with faculty, academic leaders and Advancement partners focused on philanthropic priorities.
Prepare background materials, guiding questions and discussion frameworks that help leaders clarify vision, impact and fundraising potential.
Support leaders in refining ideas and language through follow-up synthesis, draft development and iterative feedback.
Integrate input from multiple stakeholders into cohesive, strategically aligned philanthropic materials while maintaining fidelity to institutional priorities.
Other Duties as assigned